Rival Parties for Gay Jews on Christmas Eve

Jewish Christmas parties, such as the Matzo Ball, are geared toward straight singles. But tonight, there are also warring gay parties in New York City that are competing for the attention of Jewish gay men.

There’s the third annual “Christmas Eve Jewbilee,” thrown by Jayson Littman of He’Bro, a gay, Jewish networking site. The party will cater to the “young, gay professional” set, as Littman puts it. The gathering, at Hudson Terrace in Midtown, is 21 and up, and there is a $7 cover (10% of the proceeds will go to Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, which serves the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community in Manhattan).

Then there’s “Homo for the Holidays,”, put on by Alan Picus, for the 18 and up crowd. There is no cover and the bash will be held at Splash, a gay bar on West 17th Street.

Littman says his party is for culturally Jewish gay men, who aren’t necessarily practicing, but still want to date other Jews. However, he notes that anyone — straight, lesbians, non-Jews — can attend. “There are a lot of yarmulkes at the party,” he said. “There are Orthodox gays who come to the party. Bartenders will be wearing yarmulkes, too.”

And while you may not meet your future husband, you may just meet that special someone: “I don’t know if any marriages have come from it yet, but it’s still a new party, and marriage is still not legal in New York,” Littman said.

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